Sauna, cold plunge, and your health: what the science says | Dr. Susanna Søberg & Tim Spector

Video Description

Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the new ZOE app https://joinzoe.onelink.me/XebC/9r7grdmf Most of us avoid the cold. We crank up the heating, bundle up in layers, and curse every icy gust of wind. But what if freezing — or even sweating — could be the key to better health? In this episode, Jonathan is joined by two world-leading scientists to explore a radical idea: that extreme temperatures might unlock powerful benefits for your metabolism, mental health, and even longevity. Dr. Susanna Søberg is a Danish metabolic scientist and founder of the Søberg Institute. She discovered the Søberg Principle. Her findings? Just minutes of exposure a few times a week could improve insulin sensitivity, activate brown fat, and lower stress. She’s joined by Prof. Tim Spector - professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, one of the world’s top 100 most cited scientists, and scientific co-founder at ZOE - who explains how these temperature shocks may even impact your gut microbiome. This episode will change how you think about discomfort, explain the science behind extreme temperatures and might just inspire your healthiest new habit. 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily30: https://zoe.com/daily30?utm_medium=zoe_podcast&utm_source=podcast_platform&utm_campaign=d30 Follow ZOE on Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/zoe/ 00:00 Can saunas improve metabolism? 02:03 Can heat really mimic a cardio workout? 05:13 Why do I feel sleepy after a sauna? 07:33 The surprising link between heat and your heart 10:37 What cold water instantly triggers in your body 13:19 This 'good fat' burns your bad fat — here’s how 16:11 How just walking in the cold can raise your metabolism 18:57 Why a colder bedroom could transform your blood sugar 22:07 Winter swimmers vs non-swimmers — the science is clear 25:39 How short dips beat long soaks in cold water 29:12 Cold plunges activate your cell repair systems 31:37 The 30-second switch: from panic to peace 33:58 Can cold water really boost mental health? 36:07 Could gut bacteria respond to temperature? 38:53 Cold plunges and antidepressants: early findings 41:01 Cold shock vs hyperventilation — what to avoid 43:27 Is combining hot and cold better than just one? 45:36 Cryotherapy vs cold plunge — which works better? 47:19 Do cold showers actually do anything? 50:59 Why daily plunging might be too much stress 53:31 Should women cold plunge differently than men? 🏊 Get Susanna's book Winter Swimming: https://soeberginstitute.com/pages/winter-swimming-book 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook | https://amzn.to/4amfIMX Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati | https://amzn.to/4blJsLg Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector | https://amzn.to/4amZinu Mentioned in today's episode Altered brown fat thermoregulation and enhanced cold-induced thermogenesis in young, healthy, winter-swimming men, Cell (2021) https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine/fulltext/S2666-3791(21)00266-4?_returnURL=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2666379121002664%3Fshowall%3Dtrue Cold exposure, gut microbiota and health implications: A narrative review, Sci Total Environ (2024) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38242473/ The gut microbiota facilitate their host tolerance to extreme temperature, BCM Microbiology (2024) https://bmcmicrobiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12866-024-03277-6 Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here: https://gf6hx47iu5g.typeform.com/topicsuggestion Episode transcripts are available here: https://zoe.com/learn/category/podcasts